Rainbow Honor Walk could finally come to the Castro

Hollywood has the Walk of Fame and soon the Castro could have the Rainbow Honor Walk, which would commemorate pioneers and historical events in the gay and lesbian rights movement. The plan won the key backing today from a Board of Supervisors committee.

The Chronicle

Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, at their first City Hall wedding in 2004.

”I think it’s an idea whose time has come,” said Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who represents the Castro and is chief sponsor of the resolution in support of the project.

The idea is to embed plaques in the sidewalk. They would provide a brief history of the person or event being remembered. The idea is to start with 20 plaques and then add 20 more a year, said David Perry, a public relations man who is helping organize the effort. The project would be privately funded.

AP

Harvey Milk in front of his Castro Street shop, 1977.

The walk would extend along Castro Street from 19th to Market streets, on Market Street between Castro and Octavia streets, on 19th Street between Diamond and Castro streets, and on 18th Street between Collingwood and Hartford streets.

Perry said a community-based committee would select which people and events to honor. As a start, Perry would like to see a plaque for Harvey Milk, the former San Francisco supervisor who was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the nation, and for Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, the lesbian couple who broke political and social barriers in their quest for equal rights.

Isak Lindenauer, an antiques dealer in the Castro, who is helping spearhead the project, said the history and culture of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is multi-layered.

”For the most part, you really don’t get a chance to see us unless you’re watching the Pride Parade, or you come to the neighborhood for Halloween,” he said. ”We’re a lot more than that. It’s a culture that’s rich and diverse, and by making it visible, by placing plaques on the sidewalk, we get a chance to make it clear to all sorts of people who come to the neighborhood exactly who we are.”